oaklandish

About Claudine

Claudine Naganuma (Choreographer/Teacher) received a liberal arts education from Dominican College, earning a BA degree in English Literature. She studied Early Childhood Education while she earned an MFA in Dance from Mills College in Choreography and Performance(1992). Claudine taught at Aurora Elementary School in the fourth/fifth grade classroom and at La Escuelita in a sixth grade classroom doing a fall semester empowerment workshop. She is currently a ballet teacher and Director of Danspace and its Dance for PD® program since 2007. Claudine served as the Artistic Director of Asian American Dance Performances for twelve years. There, she had the opportunity to curate and produce Asian Pacific Islander (API) dance makers and lead its resident dance company, Unbound Spirit. Together with San Francisco Community Arts Organizations, the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center was founded to support contemporary API work. As a choreographer, Claudine has received a Young Presenters award from Jacob’s Pillow, a Jack Loftis and Vibeke Strand Honorary Fellowship as a Djerassi Artist in Resident. She was also selected as an international exchange artist between the Hong Kong Fringe Club and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Claudine’s work was recently filmed as part of Dave Iverson’s documentary Capturing Grace. Her choreography set on the Mark Morris Dance Group’s Youth Company along with members of the Brooklyn Parkinson Group and dNaga performed at the World Parkinson Congress in September 2016. Claudine’s untiring dedication to the community is further evidenced by her GIRL project, now in its fourth year. This is a free art and empowerment workshop for middle school girls living in the San Antonio District of Oakland.